


Midnight Meetings Over Shitty Overpriced Coffee

by Whizzers_Ass



Series: Falsettos Oneshots [3]
Category: Falsettos - Lapine/Finn
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Canon Lesbian Character, F/F, Femslash, First Meetings, POV Third Person Limited, Pre-Canon
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-08
Updated: 2020-02-08
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:54:23
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,223
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22606576
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Whizzers_Ass/pseuds/Whizzers_Ass
Summary: At too late of an hour, Charlotte, a sleep-deprived college student, finds herself driving in the middle of nowhere. A lone cafe sits by the road, and she decides to stop to rest with some bland coffee and cheap pie. However, instead of baked goods, something else steals her focus, an eccentric waitress named Cordelia.
Relationships: Dr. Charlotte/Cordelia (Falsettos)
Series: Falsettos Oneshots [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1599532
Kudos: 16





	Midnight Meetings Over Shitty Overpriced Coffee

**Author's Note:**

> Just a little thing I wanted to do for Femslash February! Don't know if this really counts as its a meetup, but its some lesbian stuff.

The rusty car chugged along the streets, headlamps two glowing eyes in the inky blanket of night. It travelled down the rural New York streets, passing by a stray building every minute or so. A lone passenger drove the car, Charlotte, an overworked college student. Dark circles hung under her eyes, sapping any glow from her eyes.  
A cheap radio filled the night, providing little joy to the soul-sucking drive. She had to drive down to her parent’s house over Thanksgiving, only to be greeted with an overwhelming amount of questions:  
“How’s your degree going?”  
“Met any nice men recently?”  
“When am I getting grandkids?”  
She’d have to smile and answer each one a thousand times for each different family member, a fake smile hiding sleepless nights of studying til the birds sung. She was running on three hours of sleep each day, spending every free second of her day studying. Oh, right, and she was a massive lesbian, so grandkids weren’t coming anytime soon. But that was none of their business.  
A building crept up on the side of the road, neon lights bathing the crow black road. A flashing sign advertised “Lulu’s Pies and Coffee: Opened 24 Hours!” Charlotte almost drove past, but she was fighting to keep her eyelids open. Besides, pie was always the right option.  
The car crawled into the small parking space, only one other car there. Golden light lit the windows, a heavenly light that saved her from another minute in that car. As soon as she opened the door, potent smells of sharp coffee and canned fruits welcomed her, a small bell chimed to make her presence known. Pink checkerboard tiles shone under the fluorescent lights, her boots squeaking against the tiles. A mint bar ran along the wall, several pies on display. A single waitress stood behind the counter, although she took hold of her eyes the moment they found her.  
Blonde hair hugged her high cheekbones, unruly curls in a bobbed cut. Tangled bangs stood above blue eyes, the color of robin eggs. A waitress uniform reflected her eyes, with a few mystery stains on it. A small name tag read “Cordelia” in cotton candy pink cursive lettering decorating.  
Charlotte couldn’t help but to stare at her, admiring her soft features.  
“Can I help you?” Cordelia’s voice broke her thoughts. It was rough on the edges, but a warm honey in the middle. Slightly western, her voice sliding to each word.  
“Oh!” She rubbed her face. “Yeah. Can I get just a black coffee? And what flavor pies do you have?”  
Cordelia chuckled, a harsh dolphin-sounding laugh. “I wouldn’t get a pie if I were you. You don’t know what those poor things have gone through.”  
“Oh.” The two stared at each other for a second, before Cordelia turned away to brew her coffee. Charlotte chose a plastic barstool at the bar, crinkling under her weight.  
“Sorry, I’m just out of it.” Charlotte sighed, turning to Charlotte. “I didn’t want to take this shift, but my boss would have canned me if I didn’t. And since I kind of need this job, here I am.” She laughed again, that squeaky bark that was somehow uttered by a human-being. “Sorry, I don’t know why I told you that.”   
“Oh no, it’s fine.” Charlotte waved her apologies away. “I’m tired beyond all measures right now. Just making a quick pit stop on my seven hour drive.”  
“Oh, tell me about it. Sleep-deprived gang! Yay!” Cordelia did little jazz hands.  
Charlotte couldn’t help but laugh at Cordelia, and her little moments of pizzazz, despite her eyes being empty of all light.   
She turned her attention to the windows, looking beyond the street. The near-vacant parking lot, their cars the only two in the lot. Two small beetles in a large, topsy-turvy world and yet they managed to meet each other.  
Cordelia broke Charlotte’s train of thought, sliding a ceramic mug of coffee to her. Cordelia had one herself, bringing the scalding coffee to her soft lips. “I shouldn’t be drinking this, fuck it.” She paused, allowing herself a sip. “The rest will probably go to waste, anyways. Might as well drink it.” She held the mug, looking thoughtful. “Don’t even like working at this sorry excuse for a cafe. The coffee’s shit, the pies are all premade and frozen, and I make nothing. What I really want to do-” Cordelia looked past Charlotte, looking into something beyond the room they were talking in.   
“What I really want to do is have a business of my own. A catering company, with the most yummy food. Dietetic knishes, gefilte fishes, whatever I want, because I’ll be talented enough to make any dish stellar. Catering for every ceremony, bar mitzvahs, funerals, whatever. But instead I’m working graveyard shifts at a subpar cafe, my personal life has fallen apart, and I’m telling my entire life story to a complete stranger.” She let out a soft laugh, with a touch of a cry for help mixed in. “I’m so sorry, I don’t even know you. I don’t know why I’m like this.” She took another sip of the coffee, long and desperate. She lowered the mug from her face, a forced smile on her face. Her eyes sunk to the floor, as she bit her lower lip.  
Charlotte instinctively reached out to touch her arm, surprising the both of them. Charlotte’s eyes lingered for a second, nervous from touching Cordelia’s arms. She wasn’t sure why, they had just met ten minutes ago. Cordelia looked down, but didn’t object.  
“Listen, it’s fine. I know what it’s like to feel lost. God, I know. I’m a black Jewish lesbian studying to become a doctor. It’s the goddamn 70s, you know people would love that title for me.”  
“Lesbian?” Cordelia looked up, her voice soft and squeaky, a faint smile that was genuine.   
“Yeah. Lesbian.” Charlotte could feel her stomach dropping. She had no problem announcing she was gay, so why did she feel so nervous around Cordelia? Like everything was affected by what her answer was.  
“Oh, same.” Her smile grew, and she looked once more at the floor before making eye contact.   
Charlotte smiled back, her face burning. A bubble of euphoria burst in her chest, just from those two words. Although why, she wasn’t sure.  
Wait.  
_Oh._  
_Oh shit._  
_That’s why._  
That’s why she couldn’t help but to stare at her bouncy hair and demanding blue eyes. To sit through all her shpielings, to want to comfort her despite being an almost stranger.  
A clock struck one o’clock., attracting their attention. Charlotte swore under her breath. She stayed too long, she needed to get on the road. She wanted to stay and talk some more, listen to Cordelia rant about her life. But she couldn’t.   
She pulled a napkin out, and scribbled out a series of numbers, and slid it over to Cordelia. “I’m so sorry, but I have to get going. But try to call me. I live just an hour drive from here. Please?”  
Cordelia smiled, her face turning red. “Of course.” They stared at each other, their eyes holding one another, not daring to be the first one to pull away.   
“Shit, I have to go.” Charlotte apologized, before hurrying out with a childish grin on her face.


End file.
